For the longest time, I’ve always tanked by using Shield Block → Revenge → Sunder Armor.
I recently learnt though that Sunder Armor generates 261 threat, whereas Battle Shout generates 275 threat per-mob, as long as all your party-members get the buff (source).
Ie, not only does battle shout generate more threat on a single-mob, it’s also cheaper (10 rage vs 15 on sunder), and it becomes 2-3x more effective when there are 2-3 mobs around you.
So… have I been tanking like a noob all this time? Should I be spamming Battle Shout for threat, instead of sunder?
Edit: Thank you to those who’ve pointed out that the threat from Battle-Shout is split among all the mobs.
Edit 2: According to this post from blizzard on Sept 19, there was a fix applied where battle shout threat is no longer divided amongst all targets? Ie, if you’re tanking 2 mobs, and cast battle shout that hits all party members, you will generate 275 threat on each mob. Can someone confirm? Does this mean once again, that battle shout is far superior to sunder armor for multi-target threat?
14 threat is pretty negligible compared to the fact that Sunder Armour also reduces the target’s armour, making them take more damage from everybody in the party who deals damage affected by armour.
Battle shout threat isn’t limited to players either. If you have a lock and hunter in your party with pets, they also get the buff, and increase the threat generated.
Edit: (important note), for party members and pets getting your BS buff, and contributing to threat generated, they must be in range to get the buff, and be in combat with the targeted mobs.
I most commonly run with 4 casters. So Battle Shout isn’t very efficient for me it seems. I use Int shout and immediately start in on my sunder rotation. 1 shout and 1 sunder on trash mobs and they almost never look another direction.
I wish I could just Battle and Int Shout then start in on the Shield Block/Revenge rotation.
Sunder Armor (260 threat, 12-15 rage) and Revenge (355 threat, 5 rage) are the highest threat per rage in the game.
Battle shout is ( 70 threat * #partymembers ) / #mobs … if you shout for a full party, thats 350 threat / however many mobs … typically 4, which is only 67.5 threat per mob.
Threat from buffing party remembers is split evenly among all mobs you’re in combat with but yes, Battle/Demo Shout are both decent options for holding threat on multiple targets at a time.
Though in single target, Sunder Armour provides a valuable debuff.
With this in mind, a good tank should be Charge, Pull Back, BS, Sunder, Tab-Rend, Revenge/MS/HS/Bash/Stomp accordingly, Taunting to get back mobs falling out of line and re-apply/furthering sunder as applicable.
*Battle Shout generates 55 threat for each player that is buffed; up to 5 people in your party and their pets, as long as they are on the relevant mob’s threat list.
I have yet to have BS keep aggro off of a mob for more than a sec. Not sure what you people are all talking about. BS has never been an tank-centric aggro mechanic.
When I am tanking, the last thing I want to have to worry about is being close proximity to my ranged DPSers so they can vet a shout buff. I want them to be as far back as possible, so that I can clearly see when mobs go galloping after them when they yank threat.
That means you, ranged DPSers. You are ranged. Act like it.
I have actually had to yell at mages to back up.
You say that, but literally every tank tells ranged to run to the tank if they pull aggro.
I had one tank accidentally pull three groups at once, then tell me to run to them after I started casting blizzard and AoE kiting the horde so they didn’t steamroll the tank. Like… for real. I’ll get right on that.